1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates broadly to the field of communications, and more particularly to enabling a variety of applications based on wireless dictation and projectization.
2. Description of the Related Art
New technology allows individuals to connect quicker and more efficiently. For example, email and Instant Messaging (IM) allow individuals to remain connected while they are at their desks and/or have Internet access. Mobile communication devices enable individuals to connect while they are on the go. Often, however, there is a need to combine the benefits of such technology to allow quick efficient tracking and entry of data, and/or communication of information, while on the move. For example, many endeavors can be “projectized,” that is, reduced to a systematic plan or design and undertaken as such. In the Construction industry, for example, the building, or other thing being constructed is conceptualized and reduced to a series of construction steps. A construction project then comprises the implementation of these steps. Another example is medical-care services, where a patient is diagnosed and treated according to a series of predefined medical steps.
One valuable aspect of projects is their characteristic of being able to be monitored and measured against a plan or design. For example, construction projects may be regularly monitored for progress toward completion of one or more construction plans. Conventionally, in the construction industry, a superintendent of a construction project monitors a project on a daily basis, and makes a written entry into a log of his or her findings. In the medical industry, a patient that requires extended medical care is monitored frequently, and his or her progress is memorialized in a written log known as the patient's record.
These are just some examples of projects and the need to store information related to a particular project, e.g., in a project log. There are many mechanisms for forming and maintaining a project log. The simplest, and most common, mechanism is a written log, where a person who monitors a project makes a text-based entry into the log. Such written logs may be formed with a computer, or by hand with a pen and paper. Problems with a written log include the fact that text-based entry is tedious, leading to omissions in whole or in part. Hand writing, or even typing, can sometimes be difficult to comprehend and understand, and it is difficult to consolidate text entries into a master log file because some entries are misplaced, lost, or sometimes never made.
Specifically, when individuals responsible for recording information related to a project are on the move, it becomes even more difficult to maintain accurate records. It should be apparent that maintaining accurate written records, say on a construction job site, is not always convenient, or even possible. While portable computers, such as laptops can make the task easier in certain situations, they do not necessarily eliminate the difficulties.
Dictation devices allow an individual to record observations while they are on the move; however, such devices do not address the problem of storing the information in an accessible format, such as in a database from which reports can be generated. Further, the tapes, or other media can be lost, destroyed, taped over, etc. It is also important to note that use of such devices allows for falsification, or tampering with the information in that there is no way to ensure that the observation or data was in fact recorded at the time an associated event took place.
Use of cellular phones and voice mail can help to overcome the last problem in that the time of an observation can be verified using the time a message was left; however, voicemail suffers from similar problems in the information is not stored in an accessible format, and it can be taped over or lost. Moreover, accessing voicemail systems to retrieve messages or information can be cumbersome and inconvenient.